IIIZ: IIIZ

After hours of laptop trouble, I was able to pen this review on a worrisome Sunday night. If you can imagine a blogger’s worst nightmare – it’s computer trouble. Never knowing when the laptop would go out, I wrote as fast as my fingers could go when it came to my thoughts on this and that, this being IIIZ and that being IIIZ, the self-titled record. Hailing from close to where I grew up, I was surprised. Not too much comes out of the Palm Springs area, but alas – standing in front of me was an album by a band from there who had one foot in the ‘80s and the other in a pool of hopefuls hoping to one day play Coachella. Hey, they wouldn’t even have to travel far.

Sen Dog of Cypress Hill helped out on the opening track of the record, “Get Away.” It was a rock meets electronica beast that was okay – but as the record played on…I found songs that stood out more. “Straw Dogs” and “The Light” were not it, but I will say I loved the sass in “Color On The Run,” as well as the indie feel of both “Analyst” and “Cure.” Where their power really laid was when they took it back to the era of neon clothing and the birth of MTV. “Retrospective” and “Manic Pixie” gave the record a new sense of life every time they played. Ironically, their throwback sounds were the freshest of the bunch.

Just a few hours outside of LA is a desert haven known as Palm Springs. It’s windy as hell and would be the enemy of anyone trying to keep their hair nice, but in this case it’s the place IIIZ started and the place that will always be home for them. Hopefully though they’ll be able to hop on the tour of a multitude of bands thanks to their self-titled latest, because it is like a kaleidoscope of styles from indie to retro. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check out IIIZ, out now.